Shipping container-based Low Cost House provides home for family of seven

We’re big fans of shipping container-based architecture here at Gizmag, and the latest such project to grab our attention comes via JYA-RCHITECTS and its Low Cost House. The budget-friendly dwelling features three shipping containers placed within a surrounding structure in order to provide a safe and attractive home for a family of seven.

Based in a small rural village in South Korea, the Low Cost House is the second in a series of inexpensive homes from JYA-RCHITECTS to be sponsored by the Korea Child Fund in a bid to improve the living conditions of low-income families.

Though the plot originally held a previous property, it was in such a state of disrepair – and so blighted by rats – that any notion of undertaking a renovation was sensibly jettisoned in favor of a fresh start.

With the project's cost of paramount concern, shipping containers were chosen to provide the main living quarters, but this resulted in unsatisfactory insulation from the elements and insufficient free space. Therefore, it was decided to build a larger barn-like surrounding structure around the containers, in a design that the architects refer to as a "house in a house."

The additional roof and exterior walls offer a new shared space between the containers, and allows easier movement for the family. Just as importantly, the container roofs were made available for use, and an attic space was also created.

Completed this year, the Low Cost House measures 101 sq m (1076 sq ft) in all, and its partly-translucent roof, bright colors, and sliding wall sections provide a dynamic and cheerful space to raise a family.